China Grove team wins CATT tourney

Published: Friday, November 8, 2013 at 7:38 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, November 8, 2013 at 7:38 a.m.

Jackie Reilly and Randy Weddington, both of China Grove, overcame a two-hour fog delay and 23 teams to win the Carolina Anglers Team Trail Yadkin Division event Saturday at High Rock Lake.

The two fishermen had a five-fish catch totaling 18.45 pounds including a 5.65-pound bass, the big fish of the day, that paid $1,158.

Howard Bean of Salisbury and Marty Williams of Thomasville fell one pound short of the leaders with 17.45 pounds, a catch anchored with a 5.45-pound bass. Their second-place finish was worth $372.

Chuck Hughes of Linwood and Dwayne Hughes of Lexington ranked third with 16.35 pounds and received $200. Salisbury's Jack Vanderford, fishing solo, placed fourth with 16.31 pounds and collected $120.

Tournament director Williams delayed the takeoff from Tamarac Marina for almost two hours because of a thick fog that cloaked the lake and refused to clear. The field weighed in at 4:45 p.m. instead of 3:00 p.m. The fishermen were greeted at the weigh in by dark skies, rain, and brisk winds that forced tournament officials to relocate the scoreboard within a shelter after it was blown down from its original spot.

Many competitors reported a late bite at the lake.

"I had only one fish by 1 p.m.," said Vanderford, who eventually caught his five-fish limit.

The next CATT qualifier is this Saturday out of Tamarac Marina.

Crappie fishing is slow at High Rock Lake with most of the fish falling short of the 10-inch minimum size limit.

The few fish that are biting are scattered throughout the piers. Fishermen shooting docks with small jigs are having the most success while slow-trollers are experiencing a long time between bites.

Last Saturday, Jonathan Seamon of China Grove caught about 40 crappie shooting docks with 1⁄32-ounce jigs. Seamon said only half of the fish were keepers. Of those keepers, he kept 10 that he thought were decent enough for the frying pan.

"I caught most of the fish under the walkways of docks in seven feet of water or less," he said.

For those unfamiliar with "shooting docks," the technique calls for a bow and arrow cast with ultra-light tackle and 4-to-6-pound test line. A small jig is held firmly in one hand and pulled back until the jig is positioned somewhere between the reel and the last guide on the rod. Various rod actions can affect the cast.

The other hand holds the reel without releasing any line until the jig is released. The rod action propels the jig into the far recesses of piers and docks that can't be reached by any other method.

Care must be taken not to propel the jig into your hand or finger. The ability to shoot the jig into tiny openings comes with practice. The jigs are usually 1⁄32-to 1⁄16-ounce in weight.

Several YouTube videos depict the art of shooting docks by skilled crappie fishermen. See "How to shoot docks for Crappie" Part 2, Fishhound.com.

The Concord team of Ed Duke and Keith Manus won the Oct. 19 Carolina Crappie Association tournament at Blewett Falls Lake.

The two fishermen had 9.62 pounds anchored with a 1.88-pound crappie, the big fish of the day.

They collected $1,458 for first place and $175.50 for big fish.

Jay Garrard of Durham and Mark Herndon of Bahama won the Nov. 2 Piedmont Bass Classics End-of-Year Bass Trail Championship on Jordan Lake. The two anglers had 19.81 pounds and shared $2,050. They also had a 7.79-pound bass, the big fish of the day, that paid $196.

Tony Woodard of Four Oaks and Scott Smith of Apex placed second with 14.33 pounds and banked $600. Lonnie Whitfield of Burlington and Phillip Smith of Mebane took the third-place prize of $360 with 14.30 pounds. Dennis Reedy of Siler City and Tommy Marrow of Oxford finished fourth with 13.78 pounds, winning $240.

The 2014 schedule is posted at www.piedmontbassclassics.com.

Tony Garitta is a fishing columnist for The Dispatch

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